On the auspicious occasion of the Hindu festival of Dussehra, Indian automotive giant Tata Motors has announced the launch of its first-ever EV hatch to capture India’s small electric car market.
Tata’s Tiago EV, priced a little under $A16,000, will be the cheapest electric vehicle available in India.
Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and its EV subsidiary, said in a statement:
“Having pioneered the EV market in India, we have successfully led its growth and penetration over the last couple of years. We believe ‘now’ is the right time to fast forward the ongoing revolution towards the future of mobility by introducing vehicles that will encourage rapid adoption of EVs.”
This small car is the electric version of the company’s Tiago hatchback and will be available in seven variants across two battery packs (19.2kWh and 24kWh) and two charging options (3.3kW AC and 7.2kW AC).
Tiago EV’s 19.2 kWh variants are aimed at short and frequent city trips with a range of 250 km, while the 24 kWh variants offer an MIDC range of 315 km for longer daily driving needs.
This car, available in white, grey, plum purple, teal blue, and a light blue “mist”, will also come with four different charging solutions, though even its DC fast charging maxes out at 50kW and takes 57 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%.
Other key features include first-time telematics, the ZConnect app that offers 45 connected car features, remote access to air conditioning, car location tracking, and smartwatch connectivity.
Tata, India’s third-largest carmaker, has been constantly transforming the Indian automotive market. It is also a leader in the e-mobility sector with a market share of 89% in (YTD FY’23) and over 45,000 Tata EVs on road to date in the personal and fleet segments.
Last year, Tata raised $US1 billion from TPG for its EV unit at a $US9.1 billion valuation and has outlined plans to launch 10 electric models by March 2026.
This move comes as Tata’s rival Mahindra & Mahindra is also in talks with investors to raise up to $A768 million for its EV and launch its first electric sport-utility vehicle in January.
Pre-orders for Tiago EV will open in India on October 10 and Tata will begin deliveries of the EV in January 2023.
Disclaimer: This story has been updated after a clarification from representative of Tata Motors that they have no plans to enter the Austrlian market with Tiago.ev as yet.
